Page 16 of Tricks & Treats at The Cosy Cornish Bakery

She nodded towards the beach and another family making its way down the slipway. ‘Heading for the beach. At least they’ll have a nicer day thanks to us.’

Nik watched, raising a sardonic eyebrow. ‘Let’s hope they bring all their rubbish back.’ Swallowing a mouthful of coffee he added, ‘The litter pick’s vital for wildlife, too. The nurdles get eaten by fish and birds and that plastic netting is dreadful stuff. Had to rescue a seal with it wrapped tight round its neck last year. A few days more and it would have died.’

‘That’s awful.’ Chloe was horrified. ‘What did you do?’

‘Not much. Cordoned off the beach so it wouldn’t get distressed any further and rang the team at Gweek, where the Seal Sanctuary is. They took over.’

‘Was the seal all right?’

Nik nodded. ‘Took a while but it made a full recovery. Returned to the wild eventually, albeit with a few neck scars. You’re staying in Grey Seal Cottage, aren’t you?’

‘Pinky’s brother is renting it out to me. At vast cost.’

Nik smiled. ‘It’s got one of the best views in the village, so it comes at a premium.’

‘True.’ Chloe thought of the little whitewashed cottage high on the headland on the opposite side of the bay to Ginger’s Sanctuary. She liked that she could see Ginger’s house from it. Little more than a bedroom, shower room and kitchen-diner-cum-sitting-room, it was decorated in soothing seaside colours: pale blue, cream and grey. ‘And it’s comfortable. It suits me perfectly for the moment.’

‘If you’ve binoculars, you’ll be able to see the seals basking in the sun on the island.’

She was delighted. ‘Really? I’ll buy a pair. Does Amazon deliver to here?’

Nik’s mouth quirked. ‘Contrary to your prejudices we’re actually quite civilised these days. Yes, Amazon delivers, as does Waitrose. There’s even an outdoor shop in Polveanan that will sell you a pair of binoculars. I’ve got some I can let you borrow, though.’

‘That would be better. No point buying a pair when I won’t be staying long.’

‘No?’

‘I’m heading back to London as soon as I can find another job. I mean, as soon as I can find something worth going after,’ she amended.

‘Oh.’ He shook his head slightly. ‘For some reason I thought you were back permanently. My bad.’ He gave her a penetrating look. ‘Thought you were taking over the bakery?’

‘I might run it while I’m here. It’ll give me something to do. I don’t like being idle.’

‘I remember.’

‘You remember?’

‘Yes, from school.’

‘You remember me from school?’ Chloe said, stupidly.

‘Of course. You were the girl who was always going places. The cleverest. The one with all the grades. And you did. Go places, I mean.’ After this unusually long speech, Nik concentrated on his coffee as if embarrassed he’d revealed too much.

A silence landed between them. Chloe didn’t reply, listening instead to the shouts from the beach, the rhythmic pull and rush of the tide and the call of sea birds on the cliffs. The familiar Wheal Kitty Cove soundtrack of her childhood. All her cleverness, her hard work, her grade A passes hadn’t got her very far in the end as she’d ended up right back here. She frowned into the sunshine and gulped down some coffee. Taking a leaf out of Ginger’s book, determined to be more positive, she forced herself out of the threatened low mood and smiled at Nik. He was easy to look at, handsome in a scruffy, don’t give a damn sort of a way. A vision of Jasper in his immaculate three-piece Italian suit suddenly rose in her mind. The contrast made a giggle bubble up.

‘So, you decided not to live back at home, then?’ Nik asked.

‘Don’t you start.’

He looked at her questioningly.

‘I’ve already had my ear bashed about that by Ginger. Thought it best to put some space between me and my mother.’

‘I get on well with your mother,’ Nik said equably.

‘Everyone does,’ Chloe said drily. ‘Except for me. You know she still has my dad’s ashes in an urn on display?’

‘I didn’t.’ Nik scratched his ear, looking uncomfortable at the swerve in conversation.